Paul Keep: Stirring the pot online

When the Internet and newspapers are mentioned in the same sentence, it often has to do with how the Net has hurt the ink-on-paper business.

There's a lot more to that story. While it has diverted some classified revenue, the Internet has also made newspapers more competitive journalistically than in the pre-online world.

For example, a once-a-day print edition is dead in the water when news breaks after the press stops running. But the Internet has made newspapers a player in the 24/7 news cycle. The Press is posting news and information -- including video -- around the clock on its site, mlive.com/grand-rapids.

Although much of what we print is available online, not everything is. And, increasingly, we offer Web-only content that never appears in print. As we realize the strengths of each form of media, one is complementing the other more than offering duplication.

"You'll see many of the same bylines between print and online -- but those writers who have blogs may be more opinionated than you see in print," said Meegan Holland, online editor at The Press. "We have stories exclusive to online that push buttons -- and they often have Troy Reimink's byline on them."

Reimink is that still-rare breed of Press journalist who writes mostly for the Web. He is not likely to be so alone as time goes on.

"For younger people, online is where it's at," Holland said. "And because we're reaching a different audience, our attitude online is very different from the newspaper. It's more edgy, more engaging."

Reimink's mission: get a rise out of people.

"Each day around noon, I'll have something go up on the site that I hope is an unconventional way of looking at an issue, based on interesting things I've found online," said Reimink, who previously was part of the entertainment team on the print side. "The finished product will resemble a longer blog entry, full of links to sources inside and outside Mlive, video clips and other material, presented in a largely subjective, conversational style."

"We call Troy's type of story an 'outrage' story, simply because it does push buttons and gets a debate going," Holland said. "You can find the outrage stories, which appear several times a week, at this link: http://bit.ly/outragegr"

"From a cynical perspective, I'm throwing meat to people who troll the comment boards," Reimink said. "Once something is posted online, it's like an invasive species is released into the Everglades. You have no idea what it's going to do. It could get five comments, or it could get 150. There's really no science to it, other than to throw as much at the wall as you can and see what sticks."

Holland said: "We want people to express their opinions (although many of us wish for more civility in that respect). So we often put stories out there that you wouldn't see in the paper, because we want to stir the conversation."

After stirring, Reimink gets feedback.

"Sometimes the most reaction comes from a piece I wouldn't have expected to pick up steam," he said. "I still get a handful of e-mails a week in response to a piece about whether the postal service should drop a day of delivery, which I wrote about two months ago. So you never know."

One thing that seems clear to me, though, is that newspapers will figure out how to use new technology to continue to be at the center of community discussion for years to come.